1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a television receiver employing a V chip system and a method of temporarily releasing viewing restriction in the television receiver employing the V chip system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the United States, a V chip system has been introduced in order to automatically make it impossible to view programs which parents do not desire their children to view. In Japan, the introduction of the V chip system is also being examined.
In the V chip system, ratings such as "violent" and "sexual" are respectively given to television programs, and the program to be broadcast as well as rating information relating to the program to be broadcast is sent out. Currently, the rating information is sent out utilizing a vertical blanking period of a video signal. On the other hand, a V chip for identifying ratings is incorporated into a television receiver, so as to make it automatically impossible to view programs respectively having ratings designated by the parents.
That is, the television receiver employing the V chip system is provided with means for identifying a rating on the basis of rating information sent with a program accompanied by the rating information, means for causing parents to set a rating such that a program having the rating is to be inhibited from being viewed by their children, and means for inhibiting the program having the rating set by the parents from being broadcast in addition to a normal television receiver.
The type of rating is defined by an MPAA (Motion Pictures Association of America) system and a TVPG (TV Parental Guidance) system which are defined by EIA (Electronic Industries Association) 744.
In the television receiver employing the V chip system, a person who has set a rating such that a program having the rating is inhibited from being viewed may, in some cases, temporarily release viewing restriction based on the contents of the set rating.
In order to release the viewing restriction based on the contents of the set rating, however, the contents of the set rating must be changed, which operation is troublesome. In order to return the contents of the set rating to the original state after the viewing restriction based on the contents of the set rating is released, the rating setting must be performed again, which operation is troublesome.